


Life Let Us Cherish

by Mara



Series: Accidental Acquisition [1]
Category: Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-03
Updated: 2015-05-03
Packaged: 2018-03-28 20:18:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3868429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mara/pseuds/Mara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luka showing up with jewelry is one thing. But really now...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Life Let Us Cherish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheSecondBatgirl](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSecondBatgirl/gifts).



> Written for Second Batgirl on the Sentai Prompt Meme. Because she knows me so well. 
> 
> Thanks to Aryn Riley and Second Batgirl for aiding, abetting, and making the right suggestions at the right times on Twitter. Also thanks to the Couchcon attendees who cheered when I said I was almost done. Really, I was almost done. For another few weeks.

Marvelous didn't often yell at his crew. Since they were very good at what they did, they didn't usually need someone shouting to figure out what needed doing. But some things called for a good cathartic shout.

Standing in the middle of the main deck of the galleon, hands on his hips, Marvelous felt this was one of those things. "What the _hell_ are you doing with a baby?" he yelled.

Luka put her arm around the baby's head as if to shield it from him.

Marvelous stared at her. "Did you steal a baby?"

"Of course not." Luka pouted at him. "She gave me the baby."

"Just because someone gives you a baby doesn't mean you need to _take it_!" He couldn't believe he even needed to say that. Surely it was obvious.

"We were running from the Zangyack at the time. She asked me to take care of her Emmy and handed her to me." Luka shrugged, like this was an everyday occurrence. 

The rest of the crew slowly gathered around them, their faces ranging from an apparent need to scream "CUTE!" (Gai, of course) to dismay (Doc).

Marvelous took a breath. "Well, then give her back!"

"I have to find the mother first." Luka smiled down at the baby, which made a...noise of some kind. "Oh, she's hungry."

Gai yelped in excitement. "I'll get some formula. I used to get it for my little nephew all the time. Oh and bottles." He was off before anyone could respond.

Everyone else just stared as Luka cooed, resting the baby against her shoulder and bouncing up and down.

Marvelous felt that somehow he'd entirely lost control of the situation.

* * *

With a growl, Marvelous stalked to his chair and slumped down in it, trying to ignore the intruder. Luka sat on the couch and Ahim sat down next to her. "Would you like to hold her?" Luka asked.

"I don't know anything about babies."

"They're not that difficult, really." Luka smiled. With a practiced twist, she had the baby resting against Ahim, whose eyes were wide as she carefully put her hands on the baby's bottom and against her back.

"Oh, she's warm!"

"Babies are little heat generators. They're great to nap with in the winter." Luka's smile was...interesting.

Doc was hovering nearby and Ahim smiled up at him. "Isn't she sweet?"

Tilting his head, he blinked a few times. "Interesting. Do babies generally just...sit there?"

Luka snorted. "Haven't any of you ever seen a baby before?"

"Well, seen. I mean, across a room." Doc shook his head. "Do you think she'd like something to play with?"

Marvelous rolled his eyes. "Don't give her any vital parts of the ship."

"I wouldn't do that. I just had an idea." 

He scurried off and Marvelous frowned after him. What in the world had gotten into the crew?

* * *

Gai returned in a few minutes and proceeded to do something or other in the kitchen that involved hot water, coming out with a plastic bottle. Ahim hastily handed the baby back to Luka, who took both baby and bottle.

Ahim, with a nod at Marvelous, disappeared from the room. Joe, too, decided this was a good time to escape. Gai, meanwhile, had dropped down on the couch next to Luka and was tucking a blanket around the baby's feet while Luka fed her.

"Why are we not giving this baby to someone?" Marvelous asked, hating the whiny tone in his voice. "Don't they have people to handle this?"

Luka and Gai gave him nearly identical looks of horror. 

"What?"

Gai shook his head furiously. "Put this precious little girl in an orphanage? Never!"

Marvelous rubbed his forehead. "Just until the mother is found," he muttered.

The other two sniffed and ignored him.

Marvelous slumped further into his chair.

* * *

He only left the deck for a few hours, Marvelous thought as he skidded to a halt at the top of the steps. Surely that wasn't enough time...right, he thought, looking at Doc. That was more than enough time for Doc to go overboard.

The baby was sitting in some kind of swing, with what Marvelous knew were some rather delicate computer components dangling on a wire. About to yell, Marvelous paused.

Joe sat in a chair just to the side of the baby, watching as she gurgled and batted at the things hanging around her. The look on his face...Marvelous felt the breath catch in his chest. It was a look of wonder and surprise and pure happiness and Marvelous felt a surge of jealousy that he hadn't put that look on Joe's face.

Scowling, he stomped into the kitchen past a surprised Gai and Doc, grabbed a pastry out of the basket, and went up to the crow's nest.

There weren't many who were willing to bother him when he went up by himself, so he was surprised to hear Ahim's footsteps just a few minutes later. She didn't flinch when he turned and glared. "Come meet Emmy," she said softly.

"We've met."

"Not properly."

Marvelous sniffed and turned away.

"Marvelous..."

He wouldn't give in. Absolutely not. He was the captain and if he couldn't make them get rid of this intruder, at least he could choose to ignore it.

A gentle hand on his sleeve. "Please."

His head drooped a fraction. Damn it, the princess knew he couldn't resist her. "Fine."

Marvelous didn't look at Ahim as he stomped back down the steps.

* * *

Luka was holding the baby when Marvelous reached the bottom and she smiled at him. "She's just eaten, so she should be in a good mood."

Marvelous looked around. "Why is everyone staring at me?"

Everyone but Luka immediately turned their attention to something else, although they all had what looked suspiciously like smiles on their faces. Marvelous glared at all of them before looking back at Luka, who'd come closer. The small bundle in her arms lay calmly, occasionally making a cooing noise.

"Emmy," Luka said, entirely serious. "This is Captain Marvelous. Marvelous, this is Emmy. We're going to find her mother and return her."

Marvelous inclined his head, feeling ridiculous. "Fi—"

And then Luka was grabbing one of his arms and moving him around and then there was a _baby on his hand_. He froze in shock but Luka just kept rearranging him to her satisfaction before letting go.

Marvelous stared down at the small face, which blinked up at him in confusion. You and me both, kid, he thought. After a few moments of consideration, her face screwed up and she began to scream.

He tried to shove her back at Luka, who held up her hands and was _laughing at him_. "Take her."

"Oh no, you made her cry, you can deal with it."

" _Take the baby_." The baby's screams got louder and without thinking, Marvelous started to bounce her up and down the way he'd seen Gai and Luka doing it. Her screaming paused and he took a breath. "Done. Now take the—"

The look on Luka's face was one he wasn't sure he'd ever seen before. It looked like it combined horror, laughter, and fear.

Marvelous looked down. It took him a moment to realize the warm feeling on his arms and chest came from a white liquid that blended into his shirt. The baby threw up on him. _The baby threw up on him._

With a calm that fooled nobody, Marvelous held the baby out to Luka. "Take. The. Baby."

She did and Marvelous marched out of the room to regain what little dignity he had left.

* * *

He went to his quarters to change, throwing the shirt with more force than necessary onto the floor and pulling on a clean one. Then he sat on his bed, arms crossed, waiting for someone to come apologize. They were probably debating now who to sacrifice. 

It was probably going to be Joe if they were smart.

It took 20 minutes for him to realize nobody was coming. They were probably out there eating dinner. And playing with the baby. Without him. Not that he wanted to play with the baby or anything.

 

When he stepped back into the room, nobody even noticed him. Pausing at the top of the steps, he waited in vain for acknowledgement as his entire crew cooed and fussed over a round ten-pound lump of baby.

"Bah," he said, stomping toward them. "I'm hungry." When Doc finally looked at him, he said it louder. "I'm hungry!" Doc got the message and jumped to his feet, heading to the kitchen.

Satisfied that someone knew their place at least, he sat at the table. Jiggling a foot, he waited impatiently. Turning when he heard footsteps, he realized it wasn't Doc with food, but Joe walking by.

Reaching out, Marvelous snagged Joe's arm, reeling him in. Joe frowned, stopping before Marvelous could pull him down to his lap. "Marvelous," he said.

"Come here."

"Not right now."

"But I want to kiss you."

Joe scowled harder. "Not in front of the baby."

Stunned, Marvelous let go of Joe. This was utterly ridiculous. The day had come when he couldn't even make out with a member of the crew. Clearly things had gone _too far_.

About to stand, Marvelous startled when Gai yelped, "We've got something!"

"Treasure?" Marvelous asked, but his voice was drowned out by the rest of the crew exclaiming things like "Where is she?" and "Did you find Emmy's family name?"

"I've made progress," Doc said. "I have footage that shows Emmy's mother's face."

"And now you can match it with official images," Gai said, bouncing over. "Fabulous."

Doc blushed and ducked his head.

* * *

The incessant crying made Marvelous want to tear out his hair. "Is she broken?" he asked Gai irritably.

"No, she's tired." Gai sighed. "We've overstimulated her and now she can't wind down."

Marvelous knew he should go somewhere else, but something of his crew's agitation was rubbing off on him.

He watched as they passed the sobbing baby from arm to arm, his frown deepening until he couldn't take it anymore. Three strides led him to Joe's side.

Grabbing the baby, he was up the steps to the crow's nest, ignoring the yelping of his crew. He suspected that nobody else remembered that the hatch locked, but he'd used it occasionally to get away from B—he stayed away from that thought as he kicked the lock with his foot.

Ignoring the muffled yells from below, he looked down at the baby, whose eyes were still filled with tears. With a scowl, he said, "It was too noisy, wasn't it? Too much. But it's quiet up here."

He still wasn't quite sure how to hold her, but he juggled her around until she slumped against his shoulder and let out a little sigh. Leaning against the mast, Marvelous stared out at the stars.

* * *

It was probably half an hour later that he opened the hatch and stepped carefully down, the crew staring at him, wide-eyed and silent. With a glare, he dared them to comment as he went to the couch and found a comfortable position, leaning back and closing his eyes as the baby breathed against his neck.

After a moment, he felt Joe sit on the floor at his feet, leaning against his legs. Luka sat on his left and Ahim to his right, both leaning in and warming the skin that had chilled outside.

He didn't bother opening his eyes as Gai and Doc tiptoed around, whispering to each other. A warm blanket draped across him, just below where the baby's head lay and he could hear the last two crew members settle in.

Marvelous allowed himself to fall asleep.

* * *

The beeping computer woke everyone slower than usual, but by the time Marvelous opened his eyes, Doc and Gai were huddled over the navigation console.

Luka reached over and lifted the baby off Marvelous' shoulder, the blanket slipping down to land on Joe. Joe grabbed it off his head and stood, folding it with quick motions.

Marvelous watched as Ahim retrieved a bottle for the baby before looking over Doc and Gai's shoulder. Eyes lidded he saw the three of them confer quietly while Joe helped Luka settle down to feed the baby.

That had been surprisingly good sleep, he thought with annoyance. 

"Are you _sure_?" Ahim asked, sounding irritated.

Marvelous looked over to where Doc was wringing his hands. "I'm sure. I wouldn't...I mean, I wouldn't have said something if I wasn't sure."

Standing, Marvelous strode over to stare at his crew members. He could feel Joe and Luka's eyes on the rest of them. He crossed his arms, waiting.

"Um, I've found Emmy's family," Doc said in a small voice.

There was a surprisingly long silence after that statement. Marvelous wasn't sure he'd ever seen his crew be quiet this long, in fact. "We'll need to take her back, then," Marvelous said eventually, when he realized nobody else was going to say it.

In the ensuing uproar, Marvelous wandered into the kitchen, snagged some cookies off a tray, then came back out to look at the computer console. Easy enough to find. "Luka, you're with me. Let's go." He didn't raise his voice, but he knew they would hear.

Everyone stopped talking and looked at him. "You're..." Luka seemed unsure how to describe it.

"I need to go along to make sure you don't pick up any additional strays on the way back."

"Of course," Luka said, giving him a strange look. "I need to finish feeding her."

Gai went into the kitchen, muttering something about formula, while Doc carefully removed some of the homemade toys and put them in a bag. Marvelous went back to his chair and waited, arms crossed to keep them from twitching.

Joe and Ahim were hovering over Luka and the baby. Marvelous wondered if he was going to have to grab the baby again, and from the look on the others' faces, they were wondering the same thing.

But even Luka could only stall for so long and eventually she stood, holding the baby wrapped carefully in a blanket. The look she shot Marvelous was annoyed and he ignored it. The rest of the crew gathered around, saying goodbyes.

He could feel the others staring at him as they left, but he kept Luka to a fast walking pace so she wouldn't be tempted to berate him.

The house was easy to find, just as he'd thought, and Luka marched right up to the front door, ringing the bell as Marvelous trailed behind.

When the door opened, everything happened very quickly. A woman shouting with joy and grabbing the baby out of Luka's hands, other people ushering them in, people exclaiming over the baby, pushing food and drink on Marvelous and Luka.

Marvelous kept his head down and ate while the baby's mother exclaimed over the good care that had been taken of her baby. Luka showed off the toys Doc had made and everyone exclaimed over those as well.

It was all very loud and happy. Marvelous ate some more.

In the middle of a discussion of how to feed babies, Marvelous couldn't take it any more. "Can we come visit?" he asked.

There was dead silence and he didn't lift his head. "My crew, I mean. They want to come visit."

"Marvelous," Luka whispered, a hand on his arm.

"We—they could babysit or something. I don't know. Whatever you do with babies."

"Of course," the mother said.

Marvelous looked up at her.

Her smile was broad and happy as she cradled the cooing baby in her arms. "You'll always be welcome in our home."

He scowled. "The crew will be happy to hear that."

"Of course," the mother said soothingly.

He snorted, looking at Luka. "But don't think this is an excuse to pick up more strays."

"Of course not," she said, clearly trying not to laugh at him.

"I mean it. No coming home with puppies or something."

"Yes, captain."

Marvelous nodded, feeling better now that he'd reasserted his authority. He didn't look at the small bundle curled up on its mother's shoulder.

Now he just had to figure out how to make the others bring him along when they babysat. After all, a good nap was nothing to scoff at.

\--end--


End file.
